Eye Contact Lessons
by MeowSap
Summary: Serra is determined to help Florina become more sociable, by whatever means necessary. Florina x Hector and a healthy dose of Serra x Erk.
1. Eye Contact

**Eye Contact Lessons**

"No, no, no! You've got it all wrong!"

The pink-haired girl put her hands on her hips, scrutinizing her "protégée".

"Remember, Florina, you need to look _up_!" she exclaimed. "If you don't have eye contact, how are you going to intimidate the others?"

"In-intimidate?" Florina repeated, bewildered.

"Yes, intimidate! How else will you overcome being shy? You have to make the others _cower_ - it builds confidence!" Serra beamed.

Florina could not follow whatever logic Serra was using. _If_ it was logic at all. What concerned her even more is that Serra actually _believed_ this. "_It apparently works for Serra, why can't it work for me?_" she thought. "_Who am I kidding, I can't do this…I could barely intimidate a fly._"

She meekly raised her head, briefly maintaining eye contact with Serra. It only lasted about a second. Serra had already mastered a frightening stare, which made this particular lesson incredibly hard on Florina.

Serra remained silent for a moment, considering ways to help her pupil. Suddenly, with a bright glimmer in her eye, she concocted a plan.

Florina suddenly felt queasy. A glimmer in Serra's eyes was much like the grim reaper coming to claim Florina's soul.

* * *

Sweat was saturating her whole body.

Why Serra had blindfolded her, she did not know. It seemed only to intensify her anxiety. What could she possibly be doing? Was Serra going to lead her into a room of men? Was she going to force her to stare at someone?

Soon Florina felt hands untying the firmly knotted blindfold. She squeezed her eyes closed, fearing the worst.

"Open your eyes, silly!" Serra said with a grin.

Florina grimaced but peeked with one eye. Confused at what she saw, she opened both eyes.

"See, its not so bad…," Serra cooed.

Before her sat a smiling scarecrow. At least it _appeared_ to be a scarecrow. Beneath the potato-sack head and tattered clothes was an unimpressed Erk. But Florina did not need to know the details just yet.

"Florina, say hello to Mr. Scarecrow. Look at hi – look at _its_ eyes when you say it, too. Oh, and make sure you sound intimidating!"

She bashfully lifted her head. The scarecrow's eyes were hardly human. Two black circles and a half-circle smile. "_There's no reason to be afraid, its just a scarecrow…_," she reassured herself.

Boldly, she focused her eyes on those two black circles. She occasionally twitched, trying to turn her head away. But she was determined to stare at the circles. She had to pass this lesson!

She was afraid, yes. Which was quite embarrassing in and of itself. (But in her defense, it _was_ a _scare_crow.) However, the longer she stared, the less intimidating it became. "Hello, Mr. Scarecrow," she said with confidence, though it lacked the condescending flair Serra had wished for.

"Excellent!" Serra squealed. "You've held eye contact for almost a minute!"

"A minute?"

"Yes, a minute!" Suddenly, Serra's eyes lit up once again. "Now, you should be ready for the next test."

"The next test?"

"Of course…its not just going to be easy stuff like this _all_ the time. Besides, how will you ever gain the attention of you-know-who if you never _look_ at him…"

Florina could have sworn Serra's devious smile reflected pure malice. She started to sweat once again. How did she know about him, anyways?

Serra strolled over to Florina's new friend, and with a quick gesture, removed the burlap mask. Erk coughed and immediately shot a cold glare at the bubbly cleric. She smiled and gently pat his head. "Oh, Erky, you are _such_ a good scarecrow!"

He rolled his eyes.

After discovering the identity of the stiff scarecrow, poor Florina felt paralyzed. She gripped the end of her skirt, forcing herself to stay seated.

Serra placed her hands on Erk's shoulders, as if to force him to stay. "Now, Florina, all you have to do is look at his eyes. Just imagine he's still the scarecrow!"

Her face felt flushed. Now it _was_ real…she almost wished Serra was holding _her_ down so that she could finish this test.

Florina kept her eyes on Erk for almost ten seconds before looking at the ground. She almost felt like she was going to cry. "It's ok, Florina, you can do it! We are just taking baby steps, ok?"

Florina took a deep breath and tried again. This time she held her gaze. After a few seconds, she found she could simply lose herself and forget the intimidating eyes peering back at her.

It took time and patience, both on her part and especially on Erk's. But as the day came to a close, Florina felt somewhat confident in herself. As if she could finally be like the other girls – sociable, friendly…happy. Serra's lessons had somehow given her _hope_.

If only she could have known what Serra had in store.

* * *

"I know something you don't know! I know something you don't know!" Serra chimed.

She sat with Hector at lunch time, needing to ask a favor. "Serra, keep this up, and I'll make sure I do the _opposite_ of whatever you ask," Hector grumbled.

"Oh, please don't, Lord Hector. You must do this for me!" she pleaded. "Besides, it isn't even for _my_ benefit."

"Really…," he said. He almost could not believe that statement.

"Yep. I'm just trying to help a friend."

"Ok, so what do you need me to do?"

She glanced about, assuring herself that no one else was listening, and leaned closer to him. She whispered her plan into his ear. His face contorted with confusion. "And _why_ exactly do I need to do this?"

She smiled once again. "I told you, I'm helping my friend. Who knows, it could even help _you_, too!"

He shook his head. "Well, if I do this, you're going to owe me a _big_ favor."

She didn't seem to mind.

* * *

Ever since Serra's lessons with the scarecrow, Florina was trying her hardest to keep eye contact with people when they asked her a question, or whenever she crossed their path. She still struggled, especially around the men, but she felt she was improving.

Eye contact was simply a bridge. If she could hold eye contact with someone, it could later lead to a greeting or even a conversation. She could finally fit in with the others and maybe even talk to Lord Hector.

She strolled through the camp, going back the tent she shared with her sister.

"Florina?"

She froze again. The lessons of Serra flooded her mind. She didn't want to let her friend down! And this would be yet another chance for her to practice…

She turned around, not realizing who it was.

Lord Hector looked at her. What a coincidence.

Her eyes widened. She did not know what to do. Her mind was thrown into a frenzy of terror and delight, all at once. She felt like looking anywhere _but_ his eyes. The lessons had little importance now. She just needed to escape.

"Florina, are you all right?"

"Umm…," she began, insecure. "Yes…I'm doing fine."

He smiled, almost relieved. "So, Serra's teaching you something about eye contact, right?"

Her face turned bright red. She almost nodded, but quickly stammered, "How…how do you know?"

"Well, she thought I could help you a bit."

Oh, that Serra! "_I_ _can't believe she would go to such…such drastic measures!_"

Florina was still studying the ground, completely embarrassed. Her head became stiff. She couldn't look at him. She couldn't bear to look so pitiful!

He lifted his hand up, resting his index finger under her soft chin and lifting her head. "C'mon, you can look at me, right?"

She slowly looked up at him, admiring his deep blue eyes. He had just created a bridge for her. She realized that now. It had been five seconds, ten seconds…she had held her eye contact with him!

"Thank you…th-thank you," she said, almost in tears.

He put his hand at his side once more. He did not exactly know how this helped, but then he wasn't shy and he wasn't a girl.

"No problem…," he replied. He waited for a moment more, just to make sure she didn't collapse into tears.

"All right, well if you need any more help with your lessons, just let me know," he said. He winked at her before walking away with an enthusiastic smile.

* * *

"Oh, Erk, wasn't that just great?" Serra giggled.

They were sitting behind some nearby bushes, observing the whole scene.

"Now, what should my next plan be…?"

He rolled his eyes. Erk could have sworn her smile reflected pure malice, as always.

* * *

Woohoo! My first fic with Serra! I never thought I would do a "matchmaker" type fic either. Hahaha...well this turned out much differently than I planned. Especially with the whole scarecrow thing. Lol! I was trying to make this humorous too, but it was kind of corny. Ah well. I tried. Anyways, hope you liked it, because I actually liked this one myself. Amazing.


	2. Waking a Beast

I must be a compulsive liar. I told you guys I'd be disappearing for a few months twice. And here I am again. I also listed this story as completed...but after seeing my reviews, some of you expected a second chapter. Now this story will either have 3 chapters total, or 5. (I can't do 4, its weird, don't you think? 4 chapters just doesn't work. Its gotta be 3 or 5.) Its really fun to write - I did this at midnight last night. And it all came out. :D So I'm pleased.

* * *

**Waking a Beast**

"I'm not so sure about this," Florina muttered, worried that someone would catch them lurking about.

"Florina, you'll be fine! Just stick with me!" Serra confidently replied.

"O-ok…"

The girls tiptoed through the camp, weaving through the maze of tents and pavilions. The sun was just now peeking above the horizon. The clouds floating above were glowing with an orange light. It was a beautiful sunrise, and some of the troop were awake early simply to enjoy it. Others were out and about preparing for the day's travel. Florina and Serra, however, were awake for quite a different reason.

"I think this is it…"

Serra lifted the flap of one of the tents and peeked inside. She glanced back at Florina and flashed a mischievous smile. "_This_ is it."

She motioned for Florina to follow her.

Reluctantly, Florina followed. She could feel the sweat on her palms. Everytime she went with Serra, she felt like she was going to faint. She was forced to partake in activities she was uncomfortable with – holding eye contact with others, sneaking around, conversing with men… Sometimes, it was like an exciting adventure. Other times, it was like trying to run for her life while being hunted by a hungry wyvern. Right now, it was the latter.

She scanned the area and gasped. Her face turned bright red. "Serra, we…we really shouldn't be here!"

She squeezed her eyes shut. They were in one of the men's tents. And someone was sleeping in one of the beds….

Serra turned to face her friend. "Florina!" she whispered. "Open your eyes! Its just Erk!"

Florina obeyed, but refused to look up at her.

"All rightey, here is what I'm going to do. I'm going to wake him up and demonstrate to you how to speak loudly. Then we'll find another person to wake up, and _you_ can try it."

Florina nodded. This felt so wrong!

"Now watch me, ok?" Serra instructed.

She hovered above Erk and took a deep breath. Florina resisted the urge to plant her fingertips in her ears, assuring herself that it was all part of the learning process. "_Rise and shine, Erkyyyy!!_"

Erk responded by putting his pillow over his head and mumbling something. "_Erk_," Serra whined. "Come on, we are trying to help Florina again. Won't you help me?"

She batted her eyelashes to enhance the manipulating effect. He sat up and gave her a sour look. He rubbed his eyes. "Couldn't you wake me up in a more subtle way, like a normal person?"

"Well if I did, it wouldn't help Florina at all, now would it?" Expecting an answer, she looked back at Florina, who wagged her head in submission.

"Now see, Florina, it wasn't that hard! You can do it!" Serra was awfully radiant for this time of morning. "Now let's go find someone _you_ can wake up."

"_I hope Serra was so loud that she woke __**everyone**__ up. Maybe I can escape this lesson somehow…_," Florina thought optimistically.

* * *

Serra began to hum as she strolled about the camp with Florina in tow. She went from tent to tent, peeking inside and searching for someone who was still asleep. Once or twice, she received angry glares as she looked inside the tents, finding people who were dressing or having a private conversation. But she didn't mind. They would forgive her later.

Finally she stumbled upon an occupied tent. "Aha! I finally found one….and what an excellent choice!" She grinned. "This is perfect for you!"

Florina was thinking of all the people in their group, hoping against all hope that it wouldn't be a certain few people. In fact, she really didn't want it to be anyone. "_Please be a scarecrow or something…_"

"Now go on in and do your thing!" Serra said, putting her hand on Florina's back and almost pushing her inside.

Florina took her first step. Suddenly, she panicked. It felt like she was drowning, desperately paddling her hands and feet in turbulent waters. She was being sucked beneath the dark sea, swallowing unhealthy amounts of water. She had to escape. She had to get out!

"Florina…?"

"No, no, I really can't do this!" Florina blurted, retracting her body from the tent. She hadn't seen who the unlucky "victim" was.

"Its easy! All you have to do is take a deep, deep breath, and let it loose. I know you can do it!"

"But I can't…"

Serra looked her straight in the eye. "You did it last time, didn't you? Remember when you held eye contact -"

"But what if they get mad at me? What if they…"

"Aw, don't worry about that," She put her arm around Florina in hopes of calming her nerves. "We're doing this for a good cause… Lord Hector understands already!"

She said it. She said Hector. That was it. Lord Hector. Florina knew now that she absolutely couldn't do this. And she wouldn't do it either. Serra could drag her, push her, or force her in some way, but she would _not_ do this. She could see Hector rising from his bed with a fury like no other and bellowing "_Who disturbs me at this early an hour? They shall face my axe and tremble in my wrath…_"

Perhaps that was over-dramatizing it. But it was a good enough excuse to her. She trembled at the very thought.

"No!" Florina protested. "No, I'm not doing this! He'll -"

"Florina, we're right here! Just say 'Wake up, Lord Hector' and then we'll leave!"

Serra had a way of making everything seem so very simple.

"Please?" Serra pleaded. She didn't give up very easily.

Florina was _almost_ persuaded. How could she refuse Serra's request? But perhaps this was her little game, trying to manipulate her like Erk…

"NO! I will not -"

"What are you girls yelling about outside my tent?"

Both of them looked over, caught off guard. "And here I thought we were being ambushed or something…"

Hector stood at the entrance of his tent, armed with a hand axe and without a shirt.

"Nope, we were here to ambush _you_!" Serra replied with a bubbly smile. She acted as if nothing was the matter.

Meanwhile, Florina nearly choked and covered her face with her hands. "_Ack! My eyes! Why oh why did she have to take me here!! And why was I yelling? This feels so inappropriate!_"

"Oh, sorry…," Hector quickly returned to his tent, slightly embarrassed after he witnessed Florina's reaction.

"See, Florina? It wasn't that bad!" Serra said after he left, in an attempt to encourage her. "You woke him up! Good job!"

Somehow that wasn't exactly comforting.

* * *

Hope this was somewhat humorous. :D It might not have been as funny as the last one, but I'm trying. Maybe next time. Anyways, thank you so much for reading!

And this time, I'll just say that I -might- disappear for a few months. You never know when inspiration will strike!


	3. Taking a Risk

So I finally took that hiatus I was warning you about. Except it wasn't a few months…it was about 4 years. Oops. Well, here is the happy conclusion to this story. :)

* * *

**Taking a Risk**

Serra's face scrunched. She couldn't think of any more lessons for Florina to learn – but she knew there had to be _something_. Letting out an agitated breath, she reclined on the grass and stared at the sky.

Eye contact - check.

Loud voice – check.

Confident strutting – check.

Starting (and maintaining) a conversation with a man – check. Well…sort of. Erk was probably not the best choice as a conversationalist, and all Sain would do was make flirtatious remarks that made Florina clam up even more. But she could let Florina slide on that one.

Unfortunately for her devious plans, Lord Hector had been at an important meeting with the other lords and the tactician when she was conducting that lesson. In fact, he had been awfully quiet ever since returning from that meeting. Even her overly cheery encouragement didn't seem to do much for his mood. She frowned – not a sad, melancholy frown, mind you, but rather an "I-didn't-get-my-way-and-I'm-unhappy-about-it" kind of frown.

"I just need to find one more lesson…something that will _finally_ get Florina and Lord Hector together," she said to herself. The gears of her mind were turning as she studied clouds moving across the soft blue sky.

Suddenly, an idea struck that so excited her being, she jumped to her feet and nearly flew to Florina's tent.

* * *

Florina shared a tent with her sisters, Farina and Fiora. As soon as she heard the loud cries of "Florina," with the last syllable purposefully drawn out, chills ran up her spine. The calls were likely coming from the far opposite edge of the camp, meaning that everyone in their troop could hear Serra's beckoning voice.

She froze, hoping the look of panic didn't appear to her sisters, and quickly excused herself for a moment. They didn't seem to mind. Serra was good for her. She was almost the exact opposite of Florina, and they hoped that by spending time together, perhaps some balance would come in each girl's manner. The sisters just looked at each other, and Farina had to stifle a giggle.

Florina anxiously looked this way and that for her loud-mouthed friend. "Florina!" Serra exclaimed. Her entire demeanor brightened (if that was even possible for as bright as she already was) at the sight of her friend. "Florina! I have another lesson for you to learn!"

"Oh…," she said, heat rising to her cheeks.

"I think it's going to be the last one, but it's going to be the _best_ one!"

It seemed like the "better" something was to Serra, the "worse" it was to Florina. "Aren't you excited?"

"I guess so…," she mumbled, then thought, "_I think I'm more excited that it's going to be over!_"

"Ok, come with me!"

So off they went to find Erk - Serra bouncing along and Florina dragging her feet. "Serra, what lesson am I going to be learning here?" Florina asked.

"You'll see! We just have to find _Erk_ first," she said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "But I will go ahead and tell you the first step. The first thing you have to do is say 'I have something I want to tell you.' Just like that!"

"I have something I want to tell you?" Florina really didn't like where this was going.

"Uh-huh!"

Just then, Erk emerged from his tent with a yawn, but before Serra could squeal his name, a look of sheer terror was expressed on his face, and he instantly retreated into the safety of his tent.

"Errrrk!" Serra wailed. "I neeeeed you!"

"Go away, Serra! I'm not in the mood to fool around today," he said flatly.

Knowing that she could override his reluctance eventually, she persisted. "But Erk, I just have to tell you one thing! And then I'll go!"

"Just one thing?" he asked skeptically.

"Just one itty-bitty little thing!" she affirmed.

He poked only his head from the flap of the tent. "Well?"

Serra leaned closer to him, putting her mouth by his cheek. And just as she took a breath to "whisper" her message, she turned toward his cheek instead and planted a sweet little kiss on his cheek.

The reaction of Erk's face was much like his Elfire spell being cast upon an enemy. He instantly turned red, and Serra couldn't tell if his firm grimace meant he was happy or mortified. But she just giggled and turned to Florina. "And that's all you have to do! Easy, right?"

Florina was blushing almost as much as Erk, partly because she was embarrassed for him, but also because she knew that Serra expected her to use the same deceptive charm to kiss…Lord Hector.

"Bye, Erky!" Serra called as Erk's face disappeared into the tent. "Now to find someone for you to kiss!"

Florina felt paralyzed.

* * *

She let out a sigh.

Serra had led her to the tent of a certain someone, and, while her "teacher" was not looking, Florina slipped away. That was the good thing about being quiet. It was easier to get out of things, and people would never notice.

Now she found herself wandering aimlessly in the grassy field where Serra had so recently invented this lesson. The fresh air was certainly welcome. She would rather be up in the air with Huey. But this would do for a while.

She wondered if Serra would try to chase and retrieve her. She shuddered at the thought. If she could avoid Serra and Lord Hector for the next few days, perhaps she could regain her mind from this swirl of emotions. She knew, deep down, that she could never ever bring herself to do this. Especially without knowing if he had any affection for her.

Kissing him, even if a little kiss on the cheek, was much too drastic. And she might ruin whatever relationship that she had with him. The tactician, Mark, seemed to place them in the same area during battles. (Although sometimes she wondered if Serra had something to do with that.) They had talked – or at least _he_ had talked – a few times. And he _did_ help her out with the first lesson.

But still.

"_But perhaps it is worth the risk_," she thought. "_Maybe it is my only chance to tell him…_"

However, her thoughts were quickly interrupted.

"So…someone told me that you had something to say to me," Hector said, casually walking up to her. He smirked. "This isn't about your pegasus, is it? I thought we were over that already!"

"Oh! L-lord Hector…um…"

Her mind raced to find an answer – an excuse. Serra must have sent him out here. Not now! She couldn't do this!

"_But this might be your chance, Florina_."

"Well?" His face was expectant, but not impatient.

"I…"

Her mind was still trying to think of something to say that didn't make her pucker her lips.

He still stood there, waiting.

And suddenly, she looked in his eyes, just like in her first lesson. His eyes were warm and caring, not angry, not skeptical. He genuinely wanted to know what it was she had to say. And somehow, she found the courage to lean forward, just slightly.

"I do have something to tell you," she whispered.

He bent closer to her, almost as if he knew what she was up to, and she, in turn, put her mouth next to his ear. Her cheeks felt as if they were on fire.

Just as she was instructed, she turned ever so gently and let her lips brush his cheek. Instantly she pulled away, squeezing her eyes shut, as if he would disappear now, and she could tell Serra that she passed this final test.

He was quiet for a moment, and she thought perhaps he really had disappeared. She cracked one of her eyes open, just to see what he was doing or if he was even still there. What she didn't expect was that Hector moved closer to her and now his mouth was next to her ear. She was trembling.

"I had something to tell you, as well," he said with a grin. He planted a gentle kiss on her lips.

There was nothing more that needed to be said.

* * *

"So, so, so?" Serra eagerly badgered her friend for more details. "What happened?"

For once, Serra did not stalk her student and watch her from afar. But now it was time for the juicy story to come out.

"I passed," Florina said, a twinge of confidence mingled in her voice. Her face was bright red as she said it.

Serra would have pestered her for more information, but she restrained herself, seeing in her friend's face that the statement was true. Serra could not contain her ecstatic grin. "So – aren't you glad you took lessons from me?"

A faint smile was on Florina's lips. She didn't want to admit it, but deep down, she was actually very thankful for the lessons.

_Fin._

* * *

For the past few years, I've spent so much time trying to forget romance. I got so disenchanted because sometimes I think too much about it and get all girly. But I realized this summer that trying to take that away has left me so...unloving? I realized that it was ok to be girly sometimes and to hear love stories.

And so this happened. (It also helped that there were a few people asking for another chapter!) Hope you liked it! I know it was a long time coming! Whether I will continue writing fan-fictions is debatable, but you never know! God bless, thank you for reading!


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